Two Lovers in the Hospital Bed
by I-Like-Pie-Too-Dean
Summary: Booth POV of 'Two Bodies in the Lab' with a happy Booth/Brennan ending! Dedicated to GretchenR who asked me to write this. Booth/Brennan B&B Rated T for slight cussing


**WOW! This is the longest fan fic I have ever written! OMG! It's 35 pages long! :)**

**So proud **sniff****

**Anyway, GretchenR asked me on my other Bones oneshot if I could do the episode, 'Two Bodies in the Lab' in Booth POV so here it is!**

**Although I did use most of the original dialog from the episode, I have put in Booth's thoughts and feelings along with a different ending, cause you know me, Booth and Brennan have to get together ;)**

**So everyone please read and review!**

* * *

Two Lovers in the Hospital Bed

I walked into the lab, Agent Jaime Kenton close behind as I approached the platform where my partner Bones and her posse of squints were huddled.

I had caught the drift of the conversation as we approached and was shocked to hear what Angela had been saying to Bones, and I felt the next words leave my lips involuntarily.

"You're dating online?" I said, shocked at the thought. Anger bubbled up within me as I forcefully pushed the feeling down, trying to make my statement sound friendlier than one out of shock.

"Well it's a practical way of objectively examining a potential partner without all the game play," Bones said to me as I frowned.

"That comes later if it works out," Angela said, holding out her hand to shake Jamie's hand, "Hi, I'm Angela."

"Special Agent Jaime Kenton," Jaime said as he shook Angela's hand, "Hi Dr. Brennan."

"Hey," Bones replied.

"You two know each other?" Angela asked with one eyebrow raised in surprise.

"Well, I was at the Bureau when Booth took his coffee cup," Bones clarified as I laughed, trying hard not to make it sound strained, "apparently their both the worlds greatest FBI Agents."

"That's right. Kenton is working the Cugeni case," I explained, "He's one of the original investigators."

"This," I continued, with a wave of my hand, "is Brennan's brain trust."

"Your victim is over here," Bones said, ignoring me completely, as she walked towards the table which the body was laid upon.

"So," I said as I followed Bones over to the body, "what if your computer dates a psycho?"

"Only about a billion people date online," Angela pointed out.

"Yeah," Hodgins added, "I have."

I rolled my eyes at my colleagues and continued to focus my attention on partner.

"You know what ever happened to seeing someone across a crowded room, eyes meeting, that old black magic gets you in its spell?" I asked Bones as I rested my hand on the microscope, gazing at her.

"There's no such thing as magic," Bones replied simply.

_How did I know she was going to say that? _I thought to myself.

"Oh, there's magic," I said with a wiggle of my brow at the beautiful but brainy woman.

"Are you here for a reason?" Bones asked, tilting her head to the side, "because Agent Kenton is handling this."

_Damn, why does she have to act so cute without even realizing it, _I thought as Bones continued to stare at me, waiting for my answer.

"We have some remains to look at," I said as I mentally shook myself from my thoughts.

"I'm already looking at them," Bones said, confused.

"Nope," I said with a smile, "no, not the Cugeni case. Kenton will baby-sit him."

"These are fresh." I continued as I grabbed Bones's elbow and led her away from the bench.

"Well I was told that our friend in the cement shoes took precedence," Bones argued.

"That was before we found someone tortured and ripped apart by dogs," I replied, my lips pressed into a grim line.

~Warehouse~

"Ninety percent of the flesh is missing because of mutilation and post mortem anthropophagi caused by canine scavenging," Bones stated as she observed the body, speaking into her recorder.

"They have to stay here?" Zach yelled out as he took photos of the body, the dogs barking irking him.

"We're waiting to see if you need them for anything," I replied as I walked over.

"No, not now," Bones stated simply as she walked around the wooden crated which the body was sitting on, their hands tied to a metal frame.

"Ask him to save the excrement for Hodgins," she continued.

"Lucky Hodgins," I said as I averted my eyes from the body, standing against the wall.

"What about the eyes?" I asked Bones.

"Gone," Bones stated simply as shone her torch onto the body, observing the wounds.

"Gouged out?" I asked as I swallowed, hoping she would say no.

"Yes, you can see the scrapings in the orbital cavities much rougher then the knife scaring," Bones stated as I felt my heart plummet into the depth of my stomach.

"It was done with a different weapon," she said as she shone her torch onto the eye sockets, indicating the scarring done to the bone.

"Son of a bitch," I breathed out, the familiar signs of this killing making pain flood my senses, as I felt guilt replace that pain in a matter of seconds.

"You've seen this before?" Bones asked me.

"Yeah, two years ago we found a seventeen year old girl in a tool shed bound, slashed, eyes gouged out, nothing for her parents to identify," I explained as I eyed the body, "suspect was Kevin Hollings, everything pointed to him but couldn't get the hard evidence so the DA refused to prosecute."

"He's twisted, Bones," I said as I repressed a shudder, recalling the said man as I felt anger resurface from the failed case which I played a major role in, "You know, it's like a game to him."

"He use dogs before?" Bones asked, as she continued to circle the body, the multiple cages in which dogs were imprisoned surrounding them, the dogs themselves barking continuously.

"No, he's making the killings more elaborate," I said, "it's like he's testing us."

"Until he goes too far and he gets caught," Bones continued on from my statement, "isn't that the expected pathology."

"Yeah," I replied meekly.

"Well I can determine the kinds of weapons, time of death; Hodgins might find something useful in the dogs…" Bones began as she was cut off by the ringing, indicating it was her phone which I was all too familiar with.

I silently snorted.

_Nobody but Bones could have such a boring ring tone_, I mussed to myself.

"Brennan? Just working," Bones stated into the phone.

I observed her as she spoke into the phone, a sudden sound making me look over at the body, which I noticed was missing one arm. I gulped, knowing what Bones will say next.

"Bag that," Bones said to me as I sighed.

_She said it_, I thought as I averted my eyes from the bloody, half decomposed arm which lay on crate.

"Yeah of course. I'm starving. Seven thirty, okay, yes. I'll meet you there. Okay. Bye," Bones said, continuing her conversation on the phone.

Zach pondered over and lifted the arm off the wooden crate and placed in into one of the evidence bags.

"My reservation just got pushed by a few extra minutes," she stated as she turned to me, shutting her phone.

"Oh, a few extra minutes. Great," I said sarcastically.

"What?" Bones asked me.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to cover my feelings on this specific topic.

"You disapprove?" Bones said with a frown.

"I said great," I replied.

"With attitude," she retorted.

"Don't go overboard with psychology," I stated, holding a hand up in an attempt to stop her from replying, "It's not your thing."

"Look, I am an adult Booth," Bones explained to me, "I see men. I go out with them on occasion. I sleep with them."

At that statement I felt my heart constrict. I couldn't image perfect, smart, loving Bones sleeping with any man who wasn't me.

_Wait…what?_ I thought, _why the hell would I care if Bones slept with men other than…me. Hell it's better than women at least! At least I know I can have a chance then._

"Hey, you know what?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant, "that's cool but you don't even know who this guy is that you're meeting."

"I have trekked through Tibet avoiding the Chinese army," Bones reminded me as I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

_Seriously, this woman has done it all,_ I thought to myself with a small smile.

"I think I can handle meeting someone for dinner," Bones continued.

"Fine, you know what?" I said a little irritated at how laid back Bones was about this.

_She doesn't even know the man for crying out loud! _I thought, wanting so much to tell it to her face.

"You have fun with Dick431 or whatever his handle is," I said as I stuck my hands inside my pockets.

"Yeah I will," Bones replied.

"Good," I retorted.

"Thanks," Bones said with a small smile.

"Fine," I said, giving up, knowing that with just that small smile I would do anything just to please my girl.

_Urgh, what is with me today! _I yelled to myself silently inside the confinements of my own mind, _my girl? Why did I think 'my girl'!_

"Good," Bones replied before turning back to the body.

"Victim is female, late teens to mid twenties, knife mark on the bone evidence of deep cuts probably to open up the flesh make it more appetizing for the dogs," she said into the recorder, taping once more.

~Later that night at the lab~

"Bones what the hell are you doing!" I said as I stalked into the lab, approaching the elevated platform where Bones stood, bent over looking down a microscope.

"Working," Bones stated, "why does everyone find that so odd?"

"Why? Oh, I don't know. Why? Because maybe an hour ago someone tried to kill you," I said angrily as I swiped my card, allowing me entrance onto the platform where I promptly approached my partner.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue to work these cases," I said, worry evident in my voice.

"This is what I do Booth," Bones said as she continued to observe the sample under the microscope, not acknowledging my presence beside her.

"Alright look, whoever killed these victims wants to make sure you don't finish your investigation," I said with a tone of concern.

"Hundreds of criminals would like me to stop what I do," Bones said as she turned away from the microscope to look at me, "are you suggesting that I just give up my career?"

"Just be reasonable," I said, trying for my voice not to shake in worry.

_She could have been killed…_I thought, _I should have been there…I __WILL__ be there next time, that I know for sure…_

"Fine," Bones said as she stared at me, "logic suggests that the shooter is involved in one of these cases so I should find out who killed them before he tries to shoot me again."

As she brushed past me, walking over to her desk, I could smell the faint scent of perfume, the musky smell smelling sweet to my nose.

_If she died I would never be able to smell this again…_I thought as I watched her back.

"Did Forensics recover the bullets that were meant for me?" she asked.

"Ballistics is running tests on them right now," I stated.

"And have you picked up the suspect in the young woman's murder?" she questioned.

"Hollings," I replied, "I don't want to spook him until we have enough evidence but I've got guys watching him."

"Did you get a list of woman missing age eighteen to twenty…" she began as I cut her off.

"Eighteen to twenty-five, yes. They are on your server," I said as Bones typed away on the computer, "Bones, everyone is doing their job."

"Okay I will see if any of them match the victim," Angela said as she walked up and sat down at another computer, shifting till she was comfortable.

"Well what about the Romano family?" Bones asked as she went over to her best friend, leaning against the desk which the computer was perched on, "Hodgins says they were feuding with the Cugenies."

"Kenton is pulling all the files on the case on all mob activity six years ago," I stated, as I contemplated whether I should say the next sentence but decided to say it anyway.

"Bones there is one other person we have to look at," I said to my partner slowly, "your date."

"Well I spoke with him, Booth," Bones said, as she began to defend the man she had never even met before.

I felt myself begin to get angry, as I tried to not let it show on my features.

"He was in his car in traffic and why would he want to kill me?" Bones said, still defending her date.

"Why would somebody want to kill your victim over there? Look Bones, I know it's hard for you to admit you're wrong about something but I really don't care about your feelings right now, I'm more concerned with your life," I said getting exasperated, trying to make her see just how much I care, "so they're bringing your date in for interrogation, grab your coat."

"I'm working," Bones stated simply as she rolled her eyes in annoyance at Angela who just shrugged, not wanting to intervene.

"Bones!" I practically yelled, "I'm not letting you out of my sight until I find out who is trying to kill you."

_Why does she have to be so damn optimistic about the situation! _I thought angrily, _someone is out to kill her and she's still so damn calm!_

~Interrogation Room~

"Temperance," the man named David, Bones online date said as he stood when they entered, shaking hands with her.

"David," Bones replied with a smile.

I stayed back, observing the interactions all the while envy and anger coursing through my mind set me reeling at how such a small thing as Bones talking with another man made me so emotional.

"Someone shot at you?" David asked as Bones nodded before replying.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Oh my god," he said, shock written into his face.

I merely rolled my eyes and thought to myself, _using the Lord's name in vain, what a sinful man…maybe I'll check out his records later…wait…how the hell did I go from thinking he was evil for disrespecting the Lord to being a criminal! I'm going insane…_

"I know," Bones replied.

"What can I do?" David asked.

I snorted slightly before mussing to myself, _no much I think, you insufferable man…_

"Excuse me I'm special Agent Seeley Booth," I said, trying to not let my dislike for the man taint my voice, "I'll be asking the questions. You want to sit down?"

"Sure," David said as he took a seat behind the table, "I mean I didn't see anything. When I got to the restaurant I saw the cops but I had no idea that it had to do with you."

"You're an investment banker, good looking guy but yet you find your women on line," I questioned, my interrogation drifting off the case, and focusing on Bones' new date's personal life.

"Excuse me?" David replied, his eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Can't you find any woman at work?" I said a little desperately, which thankfully went un-noticed by Bones, who I noticed was too busy observing David.

"Well she was online too and she's a great looking doctor," David said as he flashed a smile at Bones, which I noticed she returned fervently, "Your picture doesn't do you justice by the way.

"Thank you. Yours either," Bones said as I restrained myself from rolling my eyes, not caring whether the reason be annoyance or hurt, their playful flirting irking me, "the resolution must not be very good on line."

"Bones," I said, warning her with a slight growl to my voice.

Bones ignored my tone and rounded the table to sit next to David. I narrowed my eyes but didn't voice my protests.

"Oh he's a Luddite," Bones stated suddenly, her voice calm as my eyebrows rose in brief shock.

"Hey," I said.

"That's someone who's afraid of technology," Bones explained, her voice laced with a tone that sounds as if she was explaining which part of the body the phalanges was to a child.

"I know what a Luddite is," I retorted, "so are you saying that you were stuck in traffic?"

"What you think I shot at her?" David said as I glared at him, glad to see him shrink a little in his seat, "I'm a fundraiser for the Brady campaign against gun violence."

"Do you think I tried to kill you?" he asked Bones who only glanced back at me.

"He has to do this," Bones explained to David.

"Yeah I have to do this so what time did you leave work?" I said, my tone getting deeper and more commanding.

I smirked inwardly, all those years in the army and being the commanding officer taught you how to a) intimidate others, no matter who they are, b) make someone cower before you with only a simple glare, and c) how to kill someone with a rusted spoon and a tooth pick.

Although I doubt I would need the latter in this situation, I mussed to myself as I began a mental movie of 'what if this happened' and the need to use that technique on a banker named David.

"About six forty-five," David said as he shrunk even further into his seat as my voice dropped even lower, my glare only getting more powerful when he shifted uncomfortably.

"Any witnesses?" I asked as I felt Bones glare at me, trying to convey that I should stop intimidating David who was cringing in his seat before me.

"Yeah, yeah, my assistant, Margaret Jenson, the client I was with, the valet that saw me pull out of the parking garage," David said with an alight stutter, "I mean unless they are all suspects too."

"We'll be talking to everyone," I stated simply.

"Well did you check the traffic report?" David said as he grew a pair and began to gain some courage, that or he was comforted by the hand Bones had placed on his thigh under the table.

I growled silently.

"It was a mess," David continued.

"He did," Bones said in a soothing tone, as she turned to me, "You did."

"Do I have to get an attorney?" asked as he glanced at Bones for a second, a small smile on his lips.

"Just stay close in case we need you for anything else," I said abruptly, making them both snap out of whatever thought they were thinking of.

"Yeah, sure," David said as he stood up to leave, "I mean anything I can do to help."

"So this whole online thing, how long does it last because if it's just a way to," I suggested as I whistled, "hook up. I got to tell you. It's pretty low."

"You know one of my partners met his wife online," David said as he changed the topic.

"You're kidding?" Bones said, surprise evident on her face.

"No, they've been married for five years," David said with a smile.

"Doesn't mean it's not creepy," I said as I clenched my teeth at the hidden suggestion.

"Okay, I'm sorry," David said, "did I miss something because I don't want to get in the way or between…"

"What?" Bones said as I slight blush dusted her cheeks, which I was glad to notice, "uh, no."

"No," I replied as I wished with all my heart that I could just say that three letter word, 'yes'.

"No," Bones echoed.

"God," I replied.

"Well then maybe we could reschedule dinner?" David suggested.

"No," I said firmly, as I saw Bones nod her head.

"Sure," she replied.

"Great," David said with a charming smile towards Bones.

I felt anger at the fact that despite David being a suspect who may have potentially shot at her, she is still willing to go out to dinner with him, hell he could be the murderer of either case they were working on.

"You know I think someone needs this room," I said as I led David to the door, automatically standing between David and Bones, "let's go."

"Ah yeah sure," David said as he stood outside the door, "well I'll email you. Stay safe."

"She will stay safe," I growled out as David eyed me warily before casting a smile at Brennan and walking off.

"He's nice, don't you think?" Bones asked me, her eyes watching David walk off.

"Yeah, he's nice as a suspect," I scoffed as I turned to face my partner only to find her eyes focused on the retreating back of the 'suspect'.

My heart clenched at the smile which graced her perfect lips, as I saw how seemingly she ignored me, content to just watch 'David-the-internet-date-who-could-potntially-be-a-suspect-in-a-murder-case-and-also-a-attempted-murder'.

_Wow, the name I have dubbed him is quite long…_I thought to myself as I began to wave my hand in front of Bones face, who continued to ignore, looking right through me.

"What?" I said as I continued to wave my hand stepping in front of her line of vision.

_Look at me…not him…me…and only me…_I begged to myself as Bones looked past me, _I don't want you looking at him when I'm right before you're eyes…_

"Hello?" I asked once more, my heart getting heavier and heavier the longer Bones continued to ignore my presence, and I felt grief at the thought of Bones and David going on their postponed date, even if it was 'postponed'.

~Brennans' Office~

"Kenton heard the Romano's were pissed that they were reopening the investigation," I said as I walked into Bones' office only to find Angela sitting on her desk and Bones sitting in her swivel chair, a slight blush evident on her cheeks.

I dismissed the thought of how that blush got there and continued, "they get pissed, they shoot."

"I cleaned the bones Dr. Brennan," Zach said as he entered the office also, "you could eat off them."

I saw the picture on Bones desk of a young girl, no older than twenty and I winced as I picked up the picture.

"Is this her?" I questioned.

Bones nodded and replied with a simple, "yeah."

"How old was she?" I questioned.

"Nineteen," Bones said softly before she walked out her door towards the platform, leaving me and the picture together, alone in the room.

As I stared at the picture, I couldn't help but feel guilty at not putting that bastard Hollings behind bars earlier, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to the picture, the girls looking back at me, her eyes alight with amusement in the picture, "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you…"

I used the back of my hand to wipe a stray tear from my eyes, as I straightened up and put the picture down, heading towards the door.

As I approached the platform, and stood alongside the body with Angela and Zach as Bones surveyed the bones.

"Nice work Zack," Bones said as Zach visibly perked at the praise, "you can see some of the markings left on the bone where the bullet passed through."

"I can?" I said with avid curiosity.

"Yes," Bones said as she magnified a part of the bone on the computer pointing to certain parts, "here and here on the outer compact brow."

"Do you think you could use a computer to recreate the complete imprint the bullet left?" Bones asked Angela as I continued to stare at the screen, trying to see what Bones sees but failed to notice anything important about the bone.

"I don't know if I have enough here to work with," Angela said as she gestured to the body.

"What are you getting at?" I asked Bones.

"Well after it's discharged every bullet has a distinct pattern etched into it from the barrel of the gun, right?" Bones explained.

"Mmhm," I said with a nod.

"That same pattern would be etched into the bone as it passes through," Bones said indicating to the screen where the bone was still magnified, "if we can recover that pattern, we can reverse engineer the bullet."

"Then you'd be able to tell which weapon was used, its make, model…the whole shebang," I said slowly as it dawned on me just how brilliant my partner was.

_She's a bloody genius! _I thought, _we can find the murder weapon in no time if it works!_

"I've never heard of that technique," Zach said as his brow furrowed in thought.

"It's a theory I've been working on," Bones stated off handedly, "I thought this would be a good time to test it."

_And she thought of it herself, trust Bones to think of something so simple yet complex, _I mussed to myself.

"Great. Knock yourself out," I said, "alright, anything more about the girl?"

"The knife marks were made by a non serrated blade consistent with a pocket knife like this one," Zach said as he picked up a knife from a variety laid out on a tray, "I found additional knife marks on C5 indicating that the throat was slashed."

"What about her eyes?" I inquired slowly.

"The grooving in the eye sockets doesn't match anything on the knife," Zach stated.

"And Hodgins is playing with dog poop so everyone's got something to do," I said as I turned to Bones, "let's go."

"What?" Bones questioned.

"Kenton is putting together everything he's got on Cugenis disappearance," I said simply.

"I'm probably more valuable here," Bones said as she eyed the two corpses on the tables.

"No, you're definitely more valuable alive," I said firmly, "Alright? I'm not leaving you alone. Come on."

"If it's so dangerous here why are you leaving us?" Zach asked, his head tilted as he tried to come to a scientific conclusion as to why Booth would leave them here unprotected.

"Big strong guy like you, huh?" I said playfully as I punched Zach in the arm, "you'll be able to take care of yourself."

As I walked off, Brennan in tow, I heard a distinct, "Ouch" and couldn't help but laugh at the poor boy genius pain at the soft punch.

~Booths' Office~

"I worked undercover with the Romano's for two years, never got very high in the organization," Kenton explained as we sat inside my office at the FBI headquarters, "I left when I thought my cover was being blown."

"So you think someone from the Romano's did this?" I asked.

"It had to be, hard to tell who though. They use a lot of different guys for a job like this," Kenton elucidated, "This is Frank Lombardi; he's been seen in the area, suspected of killing more then twenty-five people, shooting mostly, although he likes the occasional garroting."

"So you think they tried to do away with the good doctor here," I said as I tiled my head in the direction where Bones was sitting.

"Well they are trying to look more legit," Kenton said with a small shrug, "besides, they don't want any ancient history resurfacing, bad for business."

"You don't know it's them," Bones stated with a frown.

_Her and her prejudice about 'jumping to conclusions'... _I thought, as I shook my head in amusement.

"I still have my sources," Kenton stated, "they tell me the Romano's know you're working this case and they know you're the best. I recommend you walk away."

"Is that why you brought me here, to scare me into giving up?" Bones said, looking me dead in the eyes.

"I want you to get real, alright?" I said, admitting to my attempt at getting her to back down from this case, "these people you are dealing with."

"We don't know who we are dealing with. It could be them," Bones said as she leant back in her chair, "it could be Hollings."

I winced at the aforementioned man, Bones noticing my small discomfort around the topic and gave me a look of concern.

"Oh, no, no," Kenton said with a shake of his head, "serial killers, they follow a pattern. They don't bind and torture and then start picking people off with a high powered rifle."

"You said Hollings promised no one would ever find enough to get him," Bones suggested, "maybe he knows that I can."

"Either way, too dangerous," Kenton replied firmly.

"You almost caught a bullet in the skull," I pointed out to my partner.

"I can give you answers, Booth. I can help you get Hollings," Bones retorted with a slight scowl set into her facial features, "You really want me to walk away because it's dangerous?"

"Sorry man, I tried," Kenton said as he shrugged at me. I shook my head with a small smile of thanks anyway.

"Any word back from ballistics on the bullets that were meant for me?" Bones asked.

"Yeah it was a military issue, Colt Air 15," Kenton replied as the same boring ring tone once again, began playing its boring tune.

"Brennan," Bones said into the phone, after she had fished it out of her pocket.

She was silent for a few seconds before replying to who ever was on the other line, "so if we any traces of the liver parasite we can tie them to the dogs."

_Ok so a squint call then, _I thought as Kenton and I both watched Bones nod into the ear piece, her face serious.

"Ok thanks," Bones said before hanging up.

"So?" I asked.

"There were parasites in the dog excrements which Hodgins had gone through, which are found in liver and he thinks that someone had lured the dogs to the warehouse, as they had been showing signs of starvation before." Bones explained before continuing.

"Also, Zach found that the wounds sustained on the female show that the pocket knife had a nick in the blade."

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath, as I recalled the body in the warehouse, "I'm gonna get evidence to put you in prison for the next 100 years."

~Hollings Apartment~

"Agent Booth, long time no see," Hollings answered his door, Bones and myself standing in his doorway.

"Hollings, I was wondering if we could take a look around your place," I asked.

"Do you have a warrant?" he asked as I shook my head.

"No, but you enjoy being cooperative if I remember," I said as I stepped through the door way passing the man and began to observe his house.

"Come in, please," Hollings said, his voice laced with sarcasm, "You must be uh, Dr. Brennan. I read about the incident the other night. You must have had quite a fright."

"Don't play with her Hollings," I warned, _or I'll fucking rip your throat out with my bare hands…_

"Oh, I hope you don't think I was being insensitive," Hollings said in a sickly sweet voice, "maybe you could tell me what you are looking for and I could help?

"We just want to look around that's all," I stated as I continued to prowl around the small apartment.

"Be my guest," Hollings said with a sweep of his arm around the room.

As we ventured around the house, I saw Bones approach a small coffee table, where from a metal bowl she picked up a small Swiss army knife.

"Can I open this?" Bones asked cautiously.

"Of course," Hollings said dismissively.

As Bones opened the blade to expect it, I continued with my search stepping into another room.

"Is this about the girl they found the other night? Terrible thing," Hollings said as I growled deep in my throat, "I hope you don't think I'm involved in this one too, do you Agent Booth?"

_Of course I do you dick, _I thought angrily, _how can I not when it's so similar and yet there you are in front of me acting all nonchalant…fucking bastard…_

"Blades are clean, no nicks," Bones said to me as she replaced the knife back into the bowl.

"I guarantee that whatever you are looking for you're not going to find here," Hollings reassured.

As I stood in one of the rooms, I noticed the jars full of keys all on the shelf and table.

"What we need might be locked up someplace," Bones said as she too stepped into the room with me.

"Wow. There are dozen of keys here," I stated stupidly.

"Tens of thousands," Hollings said from behind us, as I felt Bones jump and grab my arm in fright. I tried to suppress a smirk as she quickly let go and continued on her trek around the room, not before shooting an annoyed glare at the male.

"Maybe we'll just take them down to the Bureau and look through them," I said with a whistle.

"That's a private collection," Hollings said, "I'm afraid without cause or a warrant…"

"Oh, you see I do have cause," I said as I picked up a key with the end of my pen which I conveniently pulled out from my jacket pocket, "You see this key here is from a federal building it says do not duplicate and the other one looks like it was used in a burglary just around the corner and oh since you did allow us into your home."

"This is very rude, Agent Booth," Hollings said angrily, "I opened my home to you and this is how…"

"Before anything is removed we should photograph everything," Bones said as she laid a hand on my arm when I moved to pick up a jar of keys, "how he's arranged the items in the room could be very important."

I felt my heart jump at the contact of her hand on my jacket sleeve, the warmth radiating through the cloth.

"If you would excuse me I would like to call my attorney," Hollings said with a sigh.

"Games not so fun now is it, Hollings?" I said with a cruel smirk.

_This may just be the break I've been looking for…_

~Interrogation Room~

"I have a court date tomorrow morning at ten you had no right to confiscate his collection," Hollings Attorney stated.

"Well there were burglaries in the area," I retorted, "Those keys, they could give us some answers."

"My client can't be tied to any of those burglaries," the lawyer said plainly.

"You're probably right but you see I have a job to do and Mr. Hollings here has always been so understanding of that in the past," I said with a sly grin towards Hollings who pointedly ignored me, finding the table a whole lot more interesting.

"Oh I do understand. I've given you a statement, explained where I got the keys…" Hollings said as he leant back in his chair, looking up at me from the table.

"And since you haven't charged him with anything…" his lawyer said as he trailed off as I cut in.

"Yet, but I'm really looking forward to charging him," I said as I pulled open a folder and pulled out the photo of the first victim, "with this. Look at that, hmm."

I pulled out another photo, this time the corpse belonging to Penny Hamilton.

"I imagine it must be very frustrating when you uh, when you can't solve a crime," Hollings said as he observed the photos lay out on the table top.

"My client is a respected researcher with Whitney Chemical," the attorney stated smartly, "He hasn't missed a day of work in the past two weeks unless you have evidence to hold him…"

"Can't stop looking at it, can you Hollings? Hm?" I said with a grin as I pointedly ignored the lawyer.

_Lawyers just get on my nerves, _I thought.

"What does it do to you? Does it make you hot?" I asked Hollings with a smirk, "does it make you want to fuck them up all over again?"

"I would never want to hurt anyone, let alone these poor women," Hollings said disdainfully but I could see the glee in his eyes.

"Do you wish you were back there with those young women, so beautiful and vibrant with youth as you tortured them and cut their skin up hearing them scream, oh the screams," I charged forward, Hollings glaring at me from his seat, "and then you would relish in the screams, the blood, the pain, that those two women had to go through, and you enjoyed it, I know you did."

"Agent Booth this is an outrageous statement that you are accusing of my client," the lawyer said.

I ignored him once more and plowed on, "did you love seeing the streams of blood which cascaded down from the wounds, you, inflicted upon them, continuing this torture for hours before gouging their pretty, terrified eyes out, so that their accusing gaze wouldn't stare back at you, lifeless, as their mouths hung open with a silent scream, before you fed their bloody corpses to hungry dogs who ate the flesh off with the girls bones ever so slowly, hell, maybe you even stuck around to watch that." I said as Hollings eyes were dilated in pure emotional lust.

"I demand that you stop this accusation at once," the lawyer said as he slammed his hand against the table.

"I'm sure that Mr. Hollings would love to hear a more detailed and accurate description of what really happened to victims now, unless he already knows…" I retorted as I grinned at Hollings, who only smirked back.

"And I bet anything I can tie those keys to the murders somewhere, along with any other evidence we may find in your apartment," I said coolly.

"You can't without sufficient evidence," the lawyer said to me as I only nodded.

"I know," I replied, "but I can and I will."

"If I do remember correctly, you couldn't find anything last time either," Hollings said with a sly smile.

"You're fishing. No judge is going to let you keep that collection, Agent Booth," the lawyer said as he continued from his client, "You have to know that. We'll have it back by tomorrow."

"Nice try," Hollings said as he stood up and followed his attorney out of the door.

I clenched my fist in anger and brought it down against the table, the shock traveling down my arm. I felt the anger I had suppressed during the interrogation bubble up and I stood up and proceeded to punch at the wall.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck," I whispered as I rammed my fist into the wall, "that fucking stuck up bastard, thinks he'll get away…I won't fucking let him…"

After a while, I felt my anger subside, the physical exertion helping me calm back down. That and all the while I was punching the wall I was imagining it was that fucking murdering Hollings' face.

I stepped out of the room, forgetting that the window in the room was a one way window, unaware that Bones had been watching the whole display, worry evident on her face as she saw just how badly Hollings affected me.

~Jeffersonian Institute~

"I got the keys on pretty shaky ground," I told Dr. Goodman, the head of the Jeffersonian Anthropology Institute, "The judge is going to release them in less then eighteen hours unless we can find something tangible so Bones thought maybe you could help."

"I don't see how I'm an Archeologist," Dr. Goodman replied.

"She thought maybe you could look at it as though some kind of historical site," I replied as I handed him the photos of the various jars filled with keys and the rooms lay out.

"Uh, I suppose that's a reasonable assumption," he replied as he observed the photos, "A person's environment is a reflection of who he is."

"He's a predator, very smart, enjoys the game, you know feels like he's untouchable," I explained, trying to sum up Hollings as unprejudiced as I could without blurting that he was a total and utter bastard, as I have thought many time before.

"The room is centered around this chair," Dr. Goodman explained as he pointed to a picture, "you can see how he surrounds the back and sides by the bulk of keys. If this were an innocent collection it would be facing it. This configuration, he's displaying it."

"Well a guy like this, you know his kills are prizes," I stated with a small sigh, "The bureau is searching through these keys know to see if they can match one to a storage locker or another apartment but there's just too many of them."

"Mayan rulers kept souvenirs of their kills. They called the display a tzompantli," Dr. Goodman stated matter of factly, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes just how squinty he could sound, "It was believed it showed their strength and power and would strike fear into anyone who saw it."

"He's a loner," I said.

"Yes but his gave him enough power and security that he let you into his home," Dr. Goodman pointed out as I nodded, he was right, "He's right handed, correct?"

"Yeah, right," I replied with a nod.

"Well the bulk of the keys are on his right side. Those of the greatest value to him would be in reach," he explained as he gestured to the photograph's layout, "They hold his power. I would look at any of the keys in the containers on his right side over here."

"Thanks Dr. Goodman, you're a lifesaver," I said as I flipped open my phone to tell the people sorting the keys.

~Interrogation Room~

"Romano doesn't seem very worried," Bones said as she, Kenton and I stood in the room beside the interrogation room, observing the said man through the one way window.

"Ah it's hubris," I said with a smirk.

"Good word," Bones replied.

"Thank you," I said with a mock bow, "he won't seem so smug after we've talked to him."

"I'm running the names of everyone of his employees from his construction company six years ago, pulling sales invoices," Kenton said as he too, stood facing the window, "It's going to be a lot of stuff to sort through."

"Hodgins is going to try to see if there's any skin or fingernail in the concrete to pull DNA from," Bones stated, "It's another remote possibility."

I nodded and heard the familiar tone of my phone and hastily grappled for it before flipping it open.

"Booth," I said as I listened to the voice on the other end before replying, "yeah."

With a angry sigh I hung up and turning to my partner who gazed at me in worry, "Judge order a release of Hollings possessions, there's no grounds to hold him."

"How many keys have they made it through?" Bones asked, observing my reactions to the information.

"Well the lab had to match key types, serial number, you know cross reference those to the locks," I stated as I counted them off with my fingers, "compare the crenulations."

"The crenulations," Bones echoes slowly, her eyes lighting up in the way that I know that she's figured out something which may help us with catching the killer.

"We haven't even been through the first five hundred, Bones. So I don't think…" I said, wondering what she was thinking about, and what had dawned on her so suddenly.

"There is no lock," Bones stated simply, "Those keys don't open anything."

"What are you talking about?" I said, entirely confused.

_I thought she might have know what the keys opened on something…_I thought.

"The crenulations, the grooves, carved into the bone around the victims' eyes, they were irregular like," she said as she grabbed her keys and held them up to me, "…like the grooves of a key."

"Bones, how many keys do you need?" I said as I eyed the gigantic bundle of keys which hung off her key ring, the multiple keys jingling when she moved them.

"Car, house, lab, morgue," Bones said as she touched each respectable key, "I need a lot of keys."

"Grooves?" Kenton said with a slight cough as he cleared his throat.

"He must have used a key to gouge out the eyes and he kept it near him in his apartment," Bones explained as she turned to glance at Kenton, "that was his souvenir. How much longer can you keep the keys you confiscated?"

"He's on his way to reclaim them right now," I said with a frown.

"So you have at least a half an hour maybe more?" Bones questioned and I gave her a nod before replying.

"At least."

"Ok so tell forensics to forget about matching them to any locks. Have them image each key and send those to Zack so he can find a key that matches the grooves on the bone," Bones said, her work demeanor kicking into place as I gave a small smile at her superior complex, "that shouldn't take long."

"Image keys, send them to Zack," I said as I began to walk towards the door, "right."

"She's good, huh?" Kenton said as I was about to exit the door.

"Told ya," I said with a smile as I took out my phone.

~Bones' Home~

"Romano didn't give us anything so I should probably be back at the lab," Bones said to me as I followed her inside her house.

"No you're squints can handle it. You haven't slept in over a day, alright?" I said as she turned and faced me, a scowl on her face, "You need to get some rest. I'll sleep on the couch."

"You think you're staying here with me?" she said as I only nodded and looked around.

"Yeah," I replied, "nice place by the way Bones."

"No," Bones retorted, as she turned away from me and stalked further into her apartment, "I'm locked in here, Booth. I'll be fine."

"Okay look I want you to stay away from your windows too, okay?" I said as I eyed the large windows lining the wall "a sniper has a clear shot from any of these surrounding buildings."

"I could have just stayed at the lab," Bones said with a small whine, "the security is tight there."

_Did Bones just whine? _I asked myself mentally as I grinned, _that's kind of a turn on…wait…this is only business…bad thoughts Seeley, bad thoughts!_

"Then you would have worked," I said as I cleared my throat and ran my finger around the collar of my white shirt, loosening it a bit, "You would have gotten tired and you would have been more vulnerable when you did go out."

"Trust me this is the best, alright?" I continued as I felt my face redden as more thought of my partner whining plagued my thoughts, so I quickly changed the topic to distract her from my red face, "So where's the TV?"

"I had one but it broke," she said slowly as she pulled off her coat and draped it over the back of the couch, "I'm…I mostly just read and listen to music."

"So let's listen to some music," I said as I wiggled my brow at her and earned a small laugh, "huh?"

As I approached the stereo with the large rows of CD's I felt my eyebrows rise into my hairline.

"Music, what do we got, Bones? Wow world music," I said as I began to scan the album names, "Uh, there's a shock."

"Tibetan throat singers," I said as I picked out one of the various CD's and turned to her with my eyebrows still raised, "Rock on, Bones."

"That's mostly for work so…" Bones said as she tried to think up an excuse, failing miserably as I just grinned at her once more, loving to tease her.

I moved to the next CD rack and once again began scanning the titles.

"Kanye West, Captain Power…uh, oh whoa, alright," I said out loud.

_Wait back up…Kanye West? _I mussed to myself, _never though Bones would be into the whole new age stuff, rap and hip hop and all…_

"Look at this man, lots of jazz," I said as I saw the titles of the CD's "wow I think all that free form stuff can be a little bit too unpredictable for me."

"No, I love it," Bones said excitedly and I was reminded of a young girl who had just gotten told she could have a puppy.

"The artist has to live within a set tonal structure and trust his own instincts to find his way out of an infinite maze of musical possibilities and the great ones do," Bones continued as I gave her a grin.

"What?" she said as she noticed my grin.

"Oh nothing, I just…I just never expected that you would," I said, "you know."

"That I would love music?" Bones asked, "Well I don't usually get to talk about it but since you brought it up I thought…"

"No, hey," I said, glad that she was finally willing to come out of her shell a bit more, "I didn't mean to make you feel self conscious or…"

I spotted a familiar CD cover on the bench and nearly dived for the case, "Whoa, what's this? Ha!"

"What is it?" Bones said as she noticed me holding the CD triumphantly.

"Nice," I said as I turned the cover over in my hands.

"Booth," Bones said as I began to stick the CD into the stereo, as a familiar song of 'Hot Blooded' by Foreigner began to blare from the speakers.

"Uh, how did that get there?" Bones said with a slight blush as she averted her eyes from me as I grinned at her.

"Oh please everybody loves Foreigner," I said as I began to bob my head in time with the music.

"Hot Blooded?" I said with another bob of my head, "talk about a guilty pleasure. Check it baby."

I began to play air guitar along with the song and start to sing, gesturing Bones to join me who reluctantly did, and soon as I knew it the two of us were jamming it out and having fun.

When Bones began to sing along to the song, I felt my heart flutter at her voice and I eyed her up and down as she jumped along to the music fervently.

But the moment was interrupted with the sound of her ring tone once more and she ran over and picked up her cell phone.

"Brennan," she said into the phone as she had to cover her ears from the noise just to hear, "David, Hi. I'm fine thanks. Booth, yeah. I'm still under lock down until we solve these crimes. Yes, Foreigner. Okay I'll. Okay sure. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay thanks for calling. Bye."

The conversation was short and as I listened, I felt my heart pain and I ignored Bones as she talked into the phone and instead focused on the song, as I began to play air drums.

"Wait," I said as Bones turned to me, "I hope you didn't think…"

"No," Bones assured me with a smile.

"No cause I…" I started, "I wouldn't want to uh, you know ruin things for you, ruin anything."

"Not a problem," Bones replied as she stood before me.

_Wow, this is awkward…_I thought to myself as both Bones and I stood before each other, nodding our heads along with the song.

"Hey you got a soda, some juice?" I asked her, as both of us laughed at my attempt to lighten the current situation.

"Yeah in my fridge," Bones said as she began to walk towards the kitchen, "I'll get it."

"No, no, no," I said with a shake of my head, "You know what? I'm...I'm not your guest. You don't have to wait on me. I'll get it."

As I walked towards the kitchen I yelled over my shoulder, "Wait, do you want anything?"

"That's okay," Bones replied as she began to rifle through the CD's.

As I was in the kitchen, I went to grab the door of the refrigerators' handle when Bones yelled out, "Oh, there are uh glasses in the cupboard to the right of the fridge."

With one hand on the door handle, the other reaching for the glass, I felt my gut instinct kick at me but I knew it was too late. As I pulled the fridge door open, I felt a force throw me off my feet, and I saw darkness.

I faintly recalled Bones yelling my name, but I was already under by the time she stood over my body.

~Hospital~

"Kenton is on his way over," I stated to Bones as she sat in a chair beside my bed, watching me, "you have to promise me that you are going to stay with him."

"I will," Bones replied as her eyes became downcast.

"Did they gather all the evidence from the explosion?" I asked her.

"Yes," she replied solemnly as she glanced at the state in which my body was, which even I had to admit looked quite horrid.

"You're sure?" I pressured, wanting to make sure I got whoever the bastard trying to kill Bones.

"Yes. Booth, I was there," Bones said as she clasped her hands together and looked me in the eyes, her light blue, seemingly grey eyes searching my face, "They were very thorough and I was very annoying."

I sighed in relief but winced as pain shot through my body. Bones nearly looked like she'd burst out into tears.

"Sorry, Booth," she whispered quietly as she fingered the blanket which covered me from the waist down, "It's should be me lying in that bed."

"I'm fine. You know, I…I don't even know if…if I have to stay here," I said slowly as Bones just continued to stare at the blanket and I felt my heart swell with love that Bones thought so dearly of me, "You know?"

"You got blown up," Bones said with a small sniff as she looked at me, tears shinning in her eyes.

I just shrugged before giving a smile and said, "I've been worse."

"You have burns, lacerations, two broken ribs, green stick fracture of the clavicle…" Bones said her voice stern as she went through the list of my injuries.

"Okay, I got blown up," I said in mock defeat as Bones just smiled at me.

I tried to reach for the pudding in front of me and I felt pain when I lifted my arm so I dropped it back down till it rested at my side.

"Can you…Can you hand me one of the puddings?" I asked Bones as I winced once more.

Bones had stood up and handed me one as I slowly let the sweetness tantalize my taste buds in a wonderful sensation of sugar and chocolate.

"Oh man. Thanks, Bones," I said with a grin around the spoon, "Look at that."

As I began eating, Bones reached over and plucked out a file which she then promptly opened, "You know on your x-rays, there's a history of multiple fractures on your feet consistent with beating."

I shuddered at the memory, which didn't go un-noticed by Bones.

"It's a common method of torture in the Middle East, beating the soles of the feet with pipes or hoses," Bones continued as I continued to eat the pudding, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Yeah I know," I said slowly, knowing that she wasn't ever going to back down from this conversation.

"And there are indications of injuries sustained while you were shielding someone," Bones stated as she looked at the x-rays in the file.

"How the hell can you tell something like that?" I snapped at her, making her look up at me in shock.

"The scaring shows that the rib cage spread in such a way that…" Bones said softly as I felt the decency to be ashamed.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, "Yeah, okay. A buddy of mine, he lost his weapon and I uh, I tried."

I looked away and felt sadness at my fallen comrade, "He didn't make it. You know you shouldn't be looking at my x-rays."

"Sorry," Bones said as she put her hand on my arm, making me turn to look at her in slight shock.

With that one word, I could hear so much emotion behind that one little word and I couldn't help the feeling on delight which spread throughout my body, invading every nook and cranny.

"Hey," Kenton said as he knocked on my open door, forcing Bones and I to tear our gaze away form each other.

"Yeah," I said as I looked up at Kenton who had entered the small hospital room.

"You look like crap," Kenton said plainly as he observed my body.

_Yeah no shit Sherlock, _I thought sarcastically as I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yeah well a little bit more of this pudding and I'll be just fine, you know," I said glancing at the small pile of delicious puddings on the table in front of me, "Stick with her."

"Yeah if you want me to," Kenton said with a stern nod which I returned. This was business.

"Don't you think I should be consulted," Bones said with a roll of her eyes, "I am in the room, plus I do think I can protect myself."

"No," I said, directed at Bones before turning to Kenton and with a glare I simply said, "keep her close."

"Don't worry," Kenton said with a nod as Bones just gazed at me, a small smile on her lips as she watched me eat my pudding.

**Later that Day**

"Hey," I heard Hodgins say as he entered the room.

"Why are you here?" I said quickly, jumping to the worst scenario, "Is Brennan alright?"

"Sure, yeah no. She's with your compadre," Hodgins said as he stood in the room, "I came by to see how you are."

"Oh," I said as I turned back to the game I was watching on the small TV which was mounted on the wall.

_Thank god, _I thought, _here I was thinking I would be having a hospital buddy or something…_

"Pudding," Hodgins said as he reached forward for one of the remaining puddings, which I promptly batted his hand away from and glared, making Hodgins gulp, "I still remember this stuff from when I got my appendix out."

"Yeah and that's as good as you remember," I said as I continued to glare, my glare clearly stating that the pudding was mine, "The key fit?"

"Yeah and they found a map of the neighborhood where the other body was found and some more keys," Hodgins said as stood beside the bed.

"Found a map?" I said with a surprised tone, "No we didn't…we didn't catch that before?"

"No, I guess not or maybe your killer is getting sloppy," Hodgins suggested with a shrug.

"That's not like him," I said as the clogs in my brain began to turn.

_Something isn't right…_I thought, _something is very wrong…but what is…_

"Well it wasn't like him to use explosives either. People change," Hodgins said as I pointedly ignored him in favor of thinking, "It's the wonderful thing about life. Now we can get him before he gets Brennan."

"Can I have this one?" Hodgins asked as he eyed the pudding, when I didn't reply he took the pudding, not that I really cared.

Something was wrong, my gut instinct telling me so, but what it was I had no idea.

"You okay?" Hodgins said in between a spoonful of pudding, promptly sitting in the chair beside my bed.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah," I said dismissively, "I'm just thinking people don't really change. We like to believe they do but they don't."

"You're thinking that it's the mob guys we're after," Hodgins said.

"I'm just thinking that things, they don't make sense," I said slowly, "I mean it just doesn't add up…"

"You're feeling something a little more devious more like a frame up," Hodgins said, his conspiracy theorist kicking up, "Oh I like it, very conspiratorial."

"Things are just too neat," I stated aloud, "You know Hollings would never leave a map there."

"Go with me on this. Mob guys know you're closing in and want to throw you off by making it look like the psycho, and these guys have been involved in conspiracies a lot more complicated then this," Hodgins said as began to wave the spoon around with his speech, "they set up Lee Harvey Oswald, worked with the CIA to kill Castro. Forget about what they did to Marilyn Monroe."

"Someone planted that evidence so that we'd find it," I said, coming to the conclusion, "someone who knew what we were up to."

"Someone at the lab works for the mob. I can see it," Hodgins said with a smile, clearly happy that his theories for once, were not dismissed, "there's not much difference between a corrupt corporate government and organized crime."

I froze and felt the spoon in my hand drop.

"You're right," I stated slowly, looking up at Hodgins.

"Excuse me?" Hodgins said, clearly taken aback by my statement.

"The only way that this could unfold," I started as I began to pull out the IV drips and blood pressure stabilizers, "is if someone on the inside was orchestrating things."

"People never tell me I'm right," Hodgins said, awed at the feeling of someone telling him he was correct, "They only say I'm crazy. Love you, man."

As I pulled back the blanket and swung my legs over the side of the bed, I winced slightly as I jostled my wounds but continued to try and get out of the bed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hodgins said, alarmed.

"You're driving," I stated simply as I got up and began to walk towards the door, Hodgins close behind who only muttered, "cool".

~Hodgins' Car~

"Work with the FBI and they put you on hold when you want to get information," I said to Hodgins as I help my phone up to my ear, "Kenton was working organized crime at the same time that Cugeni was killed. Alright, he was the only one who knew the details of both investigations so he takes what he knows about Hollings to throw suspicions off himself."

As Hodgins hit a bump I felt myself wince and let out a little hiss of pain, which Hodgins soon look at me guiltily which I waved off.

"Maybe that nurse was right to be pissed that you were leaving," Hodgins said as he glanced over at me, before looking back at the road, "You don't seem good, Booth."

"You know if we weren't in a toy car," I said through gritted teeth, as someone picked up the phone at the FBI head quarters, "Yeah. Listen to me Bobby. Just get some units out there now, okay? I want to know about any activity in the abandoned buildings on that map."

As I hung up, Hodgins also snapped took out his head seat saying, "Brennan is not picking up her cell."

"Kenton, he never called for backup or surveillance or anything," I said as I rubbed my temples with one hand, "Jeeze, how can I be so stupid? Everything pointed to him."

"Hey, it is not your fault," Hodgins said to me, trying to make me feel better but it only seemed to make me feel worse.

"How could it not be my fault?" I said angrily, "It was my job to protect her instead I hand her over to him. I was so stupid!"

"Hey Booth, it'll be alright," Hodgins said with a reassuring glance, "we'll find her alright. We will."

"We better," I said as I glared at the windscreen in front of me, wincing as we went in a small pot hole, making the small British flag painted mini jump about a meter into the air.

_Damn it! Why didn't I notice it sooner! _I thought angrily, mentally berating myself for my stupidity.

As we continued to drive, the two of us sat in silence, both lost in our own thoughts.

"You know maybe you're wrong. I mean Hollings is missing, right?" Hodgins said as he turned round a corner a little too quickly making the wheels on the right side of the car lift up slightly, breaking the silence.

_Damn the car companies and their little bloody cars! _I thought as I continued to grimace every time the small car hit a rock or a little bump in the road.

"Convenient huh?" I said with a grim smile, "Kenton planned the lead so that we would find her and go after Hollings who we would never find."

"Because he is dead?" Hodgins questioned.

"Because he's dead," I echoed, confirming his queries.

"This conspiracy thing is a lot more intense when you're in the middle of it," Hodgins said with a bright smile, which soon faltered when he realized that Bones was probably being tortured, or worse already dead.

I shuddered to even think of beautiful smart Temperance 'Bones' Brennan never smiling, or having her eyes sparkle or when she goes all naïve about normal human behavior and relationships or when she smiles like she really cares every time she looks at me.

My phone began to ring, as I opened it and quickly pressed the call button.

"Yeah? Yeah, okay," I said as I hung up, "look an Agent talked to a witness who saw a couple go into a building off of North 23rd."

"This uh, building," Hodgins said with a roll of his eyes, "Oh yeah, that's really specific."

"Well crack heads aren't that detailed oriented. Step on it," I said to Hodgins who complied, "Come on."

We soon pulled up in front of the building, the FBI teams already gathering at the entrance as I pulled myself out of the toy car and limped over on of the agents.

"We used thermal imagery to see what activity there was inside the buildings," the agent explained to Hodgins and I as we stood by the door, "found a crack house, a couple of squatters, was about to move in here next."

"No, no, no," I said as I shook my head, "he hears noise, you know he could freak out and kill her. We got to be careful."

_Very careful…_ I added mentally, _we can't have Kenton using Bones as a hostage either…_

"There's no we, Booth," the agent said, whose name I had forgotten, only meeting him around the office once or twice.

"Yeah, I'm going in with you," I said firmly, standing up a little bit straighter.

"You can barely stand," the agent pointed out and I quickly stood to my full height, masking my pain and making my face stoic.

"I said I'm going with you," I said firmly once more, "Give me my gun."

The agent just shook his head and quickly handed me my gun, which I checked for ammo and then nodded my thanks.

"Bring me that vest for Booth," the agent yelled out as one of the trainees ran to grab a bullet proof vest with the large yellow print of FBI on the back.

"Wear this," the agent said as handed me the vest before walking off, giving orders to the others.

I began to unzip my jumper but groaned when I felt pain, "alright, you know what?"

I threw the vest at Hodgins who caught it between his hands, "You can come too. Alright, put that on and you stay back."

"I can do that," Hodgins said with a grin as he slipped on the vest, excited to be in a raid.

Everyone pulled out a gun, minus Hodgins, as they opened the doors and began to enter the building quietly as they received the signal from a sniper, conveying that the coast was clear. As we all traveled through the abandoned building, guns cocked and at the ready incase Kenton tried to jump anyone.

I leant up against the wall, as I groaned softly, my injuries playing up with so much movement.

"Maybe you shouldn't have had all that pudding," Hodgins said as he stood beside me next to the wall, as I shot him an irritated glance.

"I don't regret it," I said with a cheeky grin before my face hardened once more and I was serious once more.

As I continued onwards, the FBI ahead of us going right into a room, as I looked around, I saw a familiar sight. I whistled, gaining the attention of the FBI agents and Hodgins, as I nudged the keys on the ground with my toe.

_Bones' keys…_I reminded myself.

Hodgins bent down and picked them up off the floor, seeing as I was unable to bend over. Hodgins and I both shared a look, worry evident on both of our faces.

We all quickly went towards the only other door in the room, silently entering. As I went in, I saw Kenton take out his gun and walk towards Brennan.

I shot at his arm which held the gun, effectively knocking him over from the force of the bullet. I stumbled towards Bones, who had tears in her eyes as she was gagged and her hands were tied up and hung from a chain.

As I reached her, I pulled out the gag in her mouth, her soft sobs now audible. I then tried to lift her off the chain with one arm, but seeing as I couldn't, I put my head through her tied arms and lifted her up that way.

"Alright. Okay," I said softly as to not startle her, "Alright. Hold on."

As I lifted her, my face and hers' were entirely too close, and I heard her whimper and cry softly from the situation.

I put my arm around her and pulled her close as I rocked her back and forth.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm right here. It's all over. Okay," I said softly as Bones hugged me tightly, burying her face into my shoulder, "Shh. I'm right here, alright. It's all over. Shh…alright."

"You came for me…" Bones said to me as she pulled back a little, looking me in the face.

"Of course," I said as I gave her a tired smile, "I'd never leave you."

"Ever?" Bones asked quietly as she averted her eyes as tears still cascaded down her cheeks.

"Never," I said, as I leant in and pressed my lips to her forehead, as she looked up at me with a beautiful smile.

"Good, because I don't plan on letting you go," Bones said as she slowly pressed her lips to mine, a short quick kiss that ended just as it started, but it assured both of our feelings.

We sat there for a while, her arms still behind my head and my arm still circled around her waist. We sat in silence, comforting each other with our presence, content to just stay like this forever.

"How did you get out of the hospital?" Bones asked as she calmed down, her voice suddenly becoming stern as she gave me a frown.

"Hodgins gave me a ride," I said, jerking my head in his general direction, "Maybe…maybe you could give me a ride back though, huh?"

"Of course," Bones said with a smile as she laughed, hugging me as I chuckled along too, and savored the feeling of Bones within my arms.

~Hospital Room~

"Kenton is telling us everything. I mean I guess he figures there's nothing to hide," I said to Bones, who was snuggled up beside me in the hospital bed, our fingers laced together, "he's finished anyway."

"Better late then never, huh?" Bones said as she glanced up at me, as she kissed the back of my hand soothingly.

"Yeah, I guess," I said as I began to run my fingers through her hair, "You know, I let you down, Bones. I'm sorry."

"You saved my life," Bones pointed out, "you also said you'd never leave me, ever."

"Yeah but you know, I shouldn't …it shouldn't have gone down like that," I said as I averted my eyes as Bones brought up and hand and stroked my face softly.

"What a pair," Bones said as I looked into her eyes and saw only love, and I smiled back.

I kissed the top of her head softly, mindful of the bandage which was there and she smiled before settling down beside me again.

"Well, you could watch TV if you like?" I asked, and when Bones nodded.

"Sure," she replied.

I lifted the remote up with my free arm and flicked through channels, deciding on an old fashioned movie.

As we both settled in to watch the movie, Bones wiggled and I winced.

"Bones, arm," I said as she looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry," she said as she leant up and kissed me tenderly before resting her head on my shoulder, careful of my arm.

"Thanks," I said as we watched the movie silently, as I rubbed circles on the back of her palm.

"Love you Temperance," I said quietly, making Bones look up at me with a small smile.

"Love you too Seeley."

* * *

**YAY! Happy endings are just the best!**

**So what did you think? REVIEW PLEASE!**


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